Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad

Yum!! I love this salad. And it is super healthy with only 1 Tbls of oil (though I think you could omit that if you really wanted to). I tried to take pictures of it, but the salad kept coming out looking hot pink and not too appetizing. Use your imagination. The color is wonderful - beet red, orange and green. It is just slightly spicy and will be loved by those that like Indian spices. The cookbook recommends serving with roast pork or chicken. Prep is a snap if you have a food processor to shred the beets and carrots, but you could use a box grater, too.

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbls honey
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2-3/4 tsp coarse salt
1 pound raw beets, peeled
4-6 carrots, peeled (The recipe called for 2. I put in 4, but next time would still put in more, I think. There was plenty of the spice mix to cover it.)
1/3 cup coarsely torn fresh parsley

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, honey, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and salt.
2. In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred the beets and then the carrots. Add to the bowl along with the parsley, and toss all of the ingredients to combine.

More Beets!

I've got lots more beets. I woke up this morning having dreams about picking and cleaning beets from my garden.

Ed suggested I make a Roasted Beet Salad as found in Betty Crocker's cookbook. That one calls for orange slices and goat cheese. I just used the beets and some toasted walnuts.

This salad went nicely with some Fresh Brewed Jasmine Green Iced Tea.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I've made this one a ton of times, but I guess I've never blogged it! Mary is responsible for introducing this delicious dish. It's Butternut Squash Risotto - I think she got it from an Everyday Food magazine. This one could be a side dish or an entire meal.

I've lost the actual recipe - but here's how I make it.

Cut up one medium sized squash into about 1 1/2 inch cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat with 2 Tbs. of butter.

Add 1 cup of Risotto rice and mix in with 1/2 cup white cooking wine.

When all of the liquid is dissolved add warm chicken broth in 1/2 cup increments. About two cans of Chicken broth are needed.

When the rice is all cooked (this takes about 45 minutes) add approx. 1 Tbs. of fresh Sage and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

I had this one tonight in my new pottery bowl from the empty bowls luncheon for the Food Bank. Isn't it a great bowl??

Mango & Black Bean Salad

We had this with shredded beef wraps. It was supposed to be a side, but it ended up inside lot of wraps so it works well as a fruity salsa too. Sara was very brave and tried it, even though it's a lot like a condiment.

Mango & Black Bean Salad

1 1/2 cups chopped peeled ripe mango

1 cupthinkly sliced green onion

1/2 cup cooked wild or brown rice

3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

2 Tbsp. roasted tomatillo or fresh salsa

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. EVOO

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently to mix. Serves 6.